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Scripture Reading: Num. 30:1-16
Numbers 28:1—30:16 is a section dealing with statutes, which are additional laws. These statutes concern two matters: offerings (28:1—29:40) and vows (30:1-16).
The statutes concerning vows follow the statutes concerning the offerings, which are God's food. It is our duty, our responsibility, to present the offerings to God, whereas vows are voluntary. God wants us to do something more than carry out our duty and responsibility to fulfill His requirements. He would like us to do something additional — to make a vow to Him. An example of a particular vow is the vow of the Nazarite in Numbers 6.
In the church life today, we also have the two matters of fulfilling God's requirements and of making a vow to Him. If we simply fulfill God's requirements, we have not yet come up to the highest standard. We need to make a vow to God, volunteering ourselves in a definite and particular way.
According to church history, all those who were used by God to fulfill His New Testament ministry were volunteers. They not only fulfilled God's requirements but also volunteered to make a vow to Him. John Nelson Darby is an example of such a person. He fulfilled God's requirements, and he also made a vow, for the sake of the need in the church life, to remain unmarried.
The extent to which the Lord will use us depends on our vow. Of course, a vow is not limited to the matter of marriage. We may make a vow to the Lord regarding many different things. The higher our vow is, the more the Lord will use us.
I hope that many of the young people in the Lord's recovery will be touched and inspired to make a vow to God. The Lord's recovery needs young people who have made vows to God. A young person who volunteers to make a vow may say, "Lord, by Your mercy and grace I have fulfilled Your New Testament requirements. But I would like to do something additional. I would like to make a vow to live for You absolutely." We all need to make some kind of vow to the Lord.
A man vowing a vow to Jehovah or swearing an oath to bind himself by a pledge was not to break his word (Num. 30:1-2a). Rather, he was to do according to all that proceeded out of his mouth (v. 2b). This indicates that when we make a vow to God, we must keep it. If we break our word, we will suffer loss.
Numbers 30:3-5 speaks of a woman vowing a vow to Jehovah and binding herself by a pledge while in her youth within her father's house. In such a case, the final decision was to be made by her father. Here the woman signifies a believer, and the father signifies God the Father. In the sight of God, all believers are females. The final decision concerning any vow we make to God will be decided by the Father.
In verses 6 through 8 we see that the vow of a married woman was to be decided by her husband. The husband here signifies Christ the Lord. As believers, we all have God as our Father and Christ as our Lord. As females who are in the house of our Father and who have Christ as our Husband, we do not have the right to make the final decision concerning our vows. The final decision should be made either by God the Father or by Christ the Lord.
The vow of a widow or of a divorced woman was to stand against her, and she was required to fulfill it (v. 9). But if her vow or oath was made in her husband's house, her husband was to be the deciding one (vv. 10-15). This indicates that in relation to God the Father and Christ the Lord, the believers have lost their human rights. Neither before God the Father nor before Christ the Lord do we have any rights.
Numbers 30:3-15 reveals how strict God is in the matter of authority. A young woman living in her father's house had to submit to her father. A married woman had to submit to her husband. However, a widow or a divorced woman was on her own. I do not want to be like a widow or a divorced woman. I prefer to have a father — God the Father — and a husband — Christ the Lord. How good it is to have God as our Father and Christ as our Husband! Because I have God as my Father and Christ as my Husband, I can be at peace. The worldly people, on the contrary, behave like widows and divorced women. Instead of having God as their Father and Christ as their Lord, they stand by themselves, bearing their responsibility. We are different from the worldly people. We are females with the Father and the Lord. We should bring everything to and let the final decisions be made by our Father and our Husband.
